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Warming up and cooling down are crucial for your dog's exercise routine. A proper warm-up helps prepare muscles and joints, reducing the risk of injuries. Cooling down aids in preventing stiffness and promotes a gradual return to a resting state, supporting overall joint health. Both practices contribute to your dog's well-being and longevity.
As professionals, owners, and handlers, we want to reach the stars with our dogs. Whether it is IGP, dock diving, conformation, rally, wall climb, playing in the yard, or going for a hike, we want the best for our dogs, and we want them to do it in good health and without injury.
It is well researched and proven that in human sports medicine warming up prior to exercise is vital for maintaining maximum performance, before immediate high impact exercise, a sports event and into the future. For this reason, warm-up exercises are extremely important and often overlooked in our canine athletes and/or companions.
Warm-up exercises can decrease the risk and amount of injuries.
If you have your dogs in sports or competitions, it is paramount that you practice proper warm ups and cool downs before and after training or competing to prevent injury. Specific sports require specific movement of the dog's body versus others, it's important to utilize warm-up and cool-down routines that will support the movements that you expect from the dog in the activity.
So what does a warm-up actually DO?
Warming up leads to an increased body temperature, which in turn leads to an increase in muscle temperature. The warmer the muscle, the better it will perform. A warmed up muscle has a better metabolism and fiber conduction velocity; meaning the signals telling the muscles what to do travel faster in a warm muscle.
There are two types of warm-ups: passive and active.
Passive warm-ups allow for an elevation in body temperature and therefore an elevation in muscle temperature without depleting stores of energy needed for the muscle to work. It is generally accepted that passive warm-ups alone are not a good method to prepare for a sporting event or high impact exercise.
Studies have shown that overstretching before an event can actually decrease muscle function. It has also been shown that it doesn't decrease the rate of injury.
However you can use passive warm-ups during a transition phase between warming up and competing so that muscle temperature elevation is maintained.
Active warm-ups induce metabolic change and aim to induce energy production for the muscles. This can take 120 seconds to start. If you are warming your dog up for a sports event, if not warmed up properly a canine athlete may not even be using its main muscle energy source before the event is over. So active-warm ups are actually priming the muscle for function and allowing the muscle to lengthen to full functional range of motion.
It's important to note that the effectiveness of the active warm-up is related to its intensity and the duration.
How To Warm Up
There are general warm-ups that all dogs should do, and then there are specific warm-up exercises for a dog with a pre-existing injury.
The first part of warming up is cardio exercise. This increases the heart rate and blood flow therefore the body and muscle temperature.
Here is an example of a cardio warm-up:
Initially a walk or trot for 5 to 10 minutes > At a moderate exercise level, it takes about 10 minutes for the muscle temperature to raise and the muscle to reach full functionality.
Low tugs: toy must be low to the ground so as not to hyperextend the neck. This actively engages muscles in the forelimbs, spinal column, and hind limbs.
Sidestep for 30 feet: this is a good proprioception exercise to activate awareness as well as engaging shoulder and hip abductors and adductors.
Low level jumps
Left and right pivots for a minute or so
You can teach your dog to stretch to optimize your warm-up routines such as a play bow which allows for spinal extension and forelimb stretch or "cookie stretches" where your dog stays in a stand (or you can hook your arm under their belly to lift their back end) but follows a cookie in your hand in specific motions.
Taking your dog out for a run with you? Start off by letting them stretch, and walk a block or two (which also gives them a chance to potty). Then get into your run.
Playing fetch? Start with short throws of the ball/frisbee and give them a few breaks in between. Then gradually increase those distances!
Cooldowns: What Does Cooling Down DO?
Not only is it physically beneficial but it is also mentally important for your dog as it allows them to calm down.
The cooldown serves three main purposes:
It provides us some focused time to praise and bond with our dogs after working together
It can help cue them to relax and settle down (hey there conditioned emotional response!)
It helps restore shortened muscles back to their original length
The cooldown assists with stretching muscles, helping muscle fatigue and reducing the chances of chronically tight muscles. Over time, shortened muscles will create less power and can potentially cause uneven pressure on the lining of the joints but also lead to a variety of issues elsewhere in neighboring muscles.
Cooldown Exercises:
5 to 10 minute walk
Passive stretching to the full range of the limbs with a 30-second hold
Active forelimb and hind limb stretch
Key Take-Aways
Benefits of Warming Up
Improves musculotendinous (the connection between a muscle and its tendon) extensibility.
Reduces susceptibility to strain a muscle, tendon, or ligament.
Improves the muscle’s range of motion.
Increases heart and breathing rate.
Increases blood circulation and blood flow to the muscles and ligaments.
Increases the muscle and joint temperature (which allows for maximum range of - motion) and increases the glide of the muscle fibers and joints (decreasing potential strain).
Increases the rate of muscle contractions.
Encourages mental focus and your connection to your dog.
Allows you to detect if something feels “off” or wrong with your dog.
Allows nerve impulses to travel faster.
Helps to stretch the muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Distributes joint fluid over the surfaces of the joint for improved lubrication.
How Long Should my Warm Up and Cool Down be?
Your warm-up should last approximately 5-10 minutes.
Aim for two sets of five repetitions for each dynamic warm-up stretch.
You shouldn’t see signs of fatigue during a warm-up – that means you’re doing too much!
Common signs of fatigue: yawning, panting, walking away from you, difficulty maintaining posture or form in the warm-up exercise, arched or roached back, splayed feet.
What Should the Cool Down Consist Of?
The cooldown should be as long as your warm-up, or approximately 5-10 minutes. It can include the same exercises you completed as part of the warm-up, but not to the same intensity or number of reps.
Consistency is key; making warm-up and cool-down routines a regular part of your dog's exercise regimen can contribute to their long-term joint health, flexibility, and overall well-being.
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